Eye Of The Beholder
by plurabelle
Summary: River sees beauty where others don't.


Title: Eye Of The Beholder

Fandom: _Firefly_

Characters: River (with glimpses of Simon, Mal & Wash)

Prompt: 040. Sight

Word Count: 737

Rating: G/K

Author's Notes: I don't own any of these people...they belong to the glorious genius that is Joss Whedon.

Running. Speeding beneath the clouds. She felt like she was one with the sky. Her body mingling, becoming one with the soft, white cotton candy floating above. The breeze making her damp skin tingle. This is where she belonged. Serenity may be her home; but here she was at peace. Here she was free.

On she ran, her bare feet gliding across the wet grass. Across this field she knew so well, a place she had been to so many times in her dreams. This was where she came to when the voices overwhelmed her. When the space was too crowded. And she had finally found it. Or, it had found her.

She very rarely left Serenity. She mostly kept to herself these days, since the incident with Jayne and the knife. Everyone seemed so frightened of her now. But, something had compelled her to leave her bunk and venture out into the cargo bay, and that's where she saw it. The place from her dreams. Brought to life in front of her eyes.

She began to spin around in circles, her laughter filling the air. Over at Serenity, Simon stood watching, mystified. This was the first time he had seen her this happy since...well, since before the Academy. He watched as her hands reached out in front of her, as if to catch invisible butterflies, as Wash rode up in the Mule, a huge dust storm fell in his wake. River bounded into the middle of it, giggling with delight.

"What's up?" Wash said, climbing off the 4-wheeled machine, and looking back at the girl.

"I'm...I'm not quite sure. It might be her meds, maybe I mixed up the dose..." Simon trailed away.

She was hypnotized by the swarm of butterflies that had surrounded her. She unceremoniously plopped down on the grass, the sun warming her face. She felt a hand, familiar and gentle, on her shoulder.

"River...Mei Mei, are you all right?" He sat down beside her.

"Simon...it's perfect. I knew it would be.

"What...?" he looked around them, seeing nothing but a nearly deserted, dust-filled planet.

"...in my head. It was all in my head, and now it's here."

"River...where are you?"

Her face beamed, and her eyes opened wide as she sighed her one word answer.

"Heaven."

Mal had joined Wash in watching the scene unfold between the Dr and his sister. Clearing his throat, he said "I hate to interrupt a warm and fuzzy moment and all...but i aim to be getting off this damn planet."

"River...we have to go now."  
"This is home Simon."  
"No, Serenity is home for us now, remember?"

"But, this is the place. Where we were supposed to be, Simon."

Sensing her growing agitation, he placed his hands on her face and whispered to her calmly. "River...look at me." Her eyes were brimming with tears, and it killed him to see such pain in them. "You trust me, don't you?" slowly, and very hesitantly, she nodded.

"We need to go now." Taking her hands, he helped her to her feet, and led her back towards Serenity.

"It's ok, Mei-Mei" he whispered as they passed Mal & Wash.

"What do you think she saw out there, that we didn't?" Wash asked

Mal looked out at the desolate scene before him, and muttered. "Probably something I never will."

"You didn't see it, did you?"

It was sometime later, and River was now laying on her bed, Simon by her side, having just giving her nightly injection of meds. He briefly considered lying, telling her he had indeed seen the paradise she had described to him since re boarding the ship, but he finally decided it was always best to be honest with her.

"No. I didn't."

River sat up and reached out her hands, placing them on either side of her brothers face. Leaning in slightly she said in a very quiet, soft whisper. "It's time you woke up, Simon. Just open your eyes, and wake up."

She dropped her hands, and laid back down. She smiled at him, and closed her eyes, and almost instantly fell asleep.


End file.
